The fact that they have police officers, courts, and prisons (and, ultimately, an army) to enforce that power. Welcome to the real world.
In the United States specifically, the power derives from Article I, Section 8, of the US Constitution: "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes [and a whole bunch of other stuff that isn't relevant here]."
amendment 16
income tax
Power of the Federal Government
The 16th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution allows for an income tax. Abraham Lincoln had used an income tax to finance the Civil War but it was latter found to be unconstitutional thus necessitating the 16th Amendment.
the 16th amendment...
1. the employer withholds estimated taxes 2. the taxpayer files a tax return the government receives a tax payment or gives a tax refund 3. the government receives a tax payment or gives a tax refund
Amendment 16
The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1913, gives Congress the power to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states or basing it on the United States Census. This amendment clarified the federal government's authority to impose taxes on individual incomes, which had been a subject of legal debate prior to its ratification.
The Internal Revenue Service a.k.a. the government of the US
The power to engage in war. The power to levy income tax.
Income tax an amount of tax that is due on your TAXABLE INCOME amount for the tax year.
Your question is backwards. There is no income on tax. However, there is a tax on income. This is known as income tax. Income tax is a system created by the government that takes a percentage of your income out of your check based on how much money you earn. Generally speaking, the higher your income, the higher the percentage of it the government takes.